How to Repair A [Seemingly] Hopeless Dresser

As I mentioned on Monday, I finally found the perfect dresser for the next item on my 2017 Furniture Flip Bucket List.  

There's just a few little problems...

And one big one.

See what I mean? Gasp!  There's a huge chunk missing from the decorative trim molding.  

Up until this point in my furniture refinishing career, I have only re-attached existing splintered pieces.  I've never conjured missing pieces of a dresser before.  I mean do I whittle it?  Cut the whole section of molding out and replace it with as close a match as I can find?  No my friends.  I am here to tell you today - there is another way.  And all you need is a few items from the hardware store:

A can of minwax wood filler with hardening agent
A wood shaver
A plastic putty knife
Scrap wood
screws
Some sandpaper

After watching a couple helpful videos, I learned that step one is to attach a piece of scrap wood underneath the damaged area with a few screws.

Following the instructions on the Minwax can, I mixed the wood putty with the hardener and applied it quickly to the effected area.

And I applied some to the chips in the veneer on the drawers while I was at it.

After letting it set, I gingerly detached the scrap wood - first by unscrewing it from the dresser, then by cutting away the excess hardened wood filler.

Now comes the fun part - sanding the hardened wood to match the contours on the molding as close as possible.

To get those clean lines, I used a wood shaver on the bottom until the wood filler felt flush with the underside of the drawer frame.

And also on the front edge since sanding would have rounded the edges too much.

After that, it was a matter of sanding the entire body of the piece to prep for paint.

And sanding the drawers to smooth out the repaired areas of the veneer too.

Now it's time to paint.  

Can you spot the repair?

How about now?

Once painted, the damaged areas are virtually undetectable!

I am so pleased to find that such a seemingly "big" problem can be fixed by such a small can of wood filler!

I hope this little tutorial saves a dresser or two from the dump.  And if you end up giving this repair method a try, feel free to share your experience with us!

P.S. Read more about this dresser's transformation on Apartment Therapy!

Brass Finger-Pull Dresser || Flip List Item No.2 ||

Happy Labor Day style mutts!  As you may have seen in our posts last week, we've had some exciting news to share - including my debut DIY post on Apartment Therapy.  This little dresser was in desperate need of some MAJOR repairs, but it it ended up being the perfect dresser for the next item on my 2017 Furniture Flip Bucket List.  

The Before

Now because this poor little dresser had so much damage (which I will go into more here on Wednesday), after all the repairs - I really had no choice but to paint.

I resurrected my new fave color of choice: Black Boudoir by Behr Paint (same color I used on this two-toned flip in the spring).  Once the paint dried, it was time for hardware - and as you may know, I have been stockpiling this brass hardware since over a year ago.  Although these are designed to be library-like pulls mounted on the front of a drawer, I had other plans for these bad boys...

I wanted to figure out if I could mount them upside-down to the top of the drawers and make my own finger pulls like the hardware on Chelsea's christmastime flip from last year.

Because of the narrow gap between the drawers and the decorative trim, I needed something with a lower profile than a traditional screw to attach the hardware - so I went with brass tacks.

Tacks aren't designed to withstand a hit from a hammer, so I used a rubber mallet to tap in each tack gently.  And...

It worked!

I had just enough clearance for the hardware!  The end result - a handsome double-breasted gent of a dresser.

Don't forget to circle back here come Wednesday for more details on how I rebuilt some of the dresser's splintered trim FROM SCRATCH (and a tutorial so you can do it too ;).

Brass Finger-Pull Dresser
Now Available for Sale
34"L x 18"W x 44"H
$495

If you are interested in this piece or a custom order like it, please contact me at cate@stylemutthome.com.

Five down, two to go.  Catch up on the 2017 Furniture Flip Bucket List.

Mid-Mod Dining Chairs

Not even two weeks into the summer and somehow I managed to get my hands on some Brody mid-century modern dining chairs!  Can I get a holla?!?!  Except there was only one problem...

 They looked like this:

See that splitting vinyl??  Tres tragique!  What's worse was even the underside of the chairs had instructions on how to care for the upholstery.  Someone had seriously neglected these puppies in a past life...

I motion that they add to the *DON'TS column: "Do not give to frat house or wreckless bachelor" (which is how I got my hands on them).

Since the original vinyl was so SHOT, I  had no choice but to replace the fabric.  New upholstery challenge accepted! 

As is my usual reupholstery MO, I went with a cream linen that really lightened up their silohuettes.

In a perfect world, I would've restored the original fabric.  But the seats and the backrests were truly unsalvagable.  The back panels, however, where in mint condition so after some jerry-rigging, I found a way to keep them for a two-toned contrast.

The chairs' original swivel chrome bases were in excellent shape as well. 

The backrests had some cute keyhole detailing - which I'm not gonna lie, was one of the trickiest parts of the reupholstery project.

But those wishbone keyholes, coincidentally, inspired the unconventional staging wall-art.

And (of course), I couldn't style a chair without my favorite Kilim pillow kid (shhh don't tell the others).

Is it just me or do they look like a chorus line?  

Let's practice that high kick ladies.

If you're in the D.C. Metro area and are looking for a set of dining chairs (or even some occasional or desk chairs if that's what you're in to) - hit me up.

Mid-Mod Dining Chairs
Now Available for Sale
$175 each/ $600 for the set

If you are interested in this set or a custom order like it, email me at cate@stylemutthome.com.